The last chapter of Parshat Emor opens with the Mitzvah to perform two parts of the Temple service, they are: the kindling of the Menorah and the placing of Chalot (Showbreads) on the Table. After this opening section which seems much in line with the rest of the Parsha we have a dramatic shift in focus. The Torah now switches to a narrative that seems to be completely random. It is the story of a Jew who sinned by committing blasphemy in the name of God.
Why does the Torah change focus from the rituals of the Temple and the lifestyle of the Kohanim to this story about blasphemy? This shift in our parsha and in the book of Leviticus shows that the main idea of the Torah is to bring about a nation of people who pursue the idea of perfection in their relationships with one another. At the same time, this pursuit of perfection in their relationship shouldn’t be any less with God. We read in verses four and six of chapter 24 that the Menorah and the table are to be pure. What do these two objects symbolize in our lives and why is the need for their purity important? The Menorah is our wisdom and the table represents our business dealings. Our wisdom and business dealings need to be pure so our social relationships can be sound.
The narrative of the blasphemer ties the laws of the Temple to the various social laws-“which symbolize this need for purity. One who, Heaven forbid utters a curse against God fails to subordinate his own ambitions and passions to God’s will. Such a human failure leads easily to the subjects that follow the episode of the blasphemer: murder and property damage, the sort of anti-social behavior that makes it impossible for society to function properly.” (Stone Chumash 692)
Right now our society feels broken in a sense. This virus has exposed a lot of the weaknesses we as a country have. This is the precise time that we as Jews must turn to God. We must be wise like the Menorah and use our common sense in terms of how we navigate this troubled world. We need to engage in communication with God which allows us a sense of clarity by pouring out our hearts and desires. It is almost a form of therapy, after this therapy we are able to think more clearly and be wise like the Menorah. We need to be fair in our business dealings: these days many stores and restaurants are hurting because of the social distancing laws put into place because of the virus. We need to help those owners with our patronage and more. We need to ask them what they need to help them get back on their feet.
This is what it means to purify our table, it means to help take care of each other so that we are all given the same chance in our businesses to make a living. If we are working together as a society and not fighting with each other we can prevent ourselves from becoming like the blasphemer that we read about in the end of our parsha. He only brings about violence, death, and property damage. This is the time to strengthen our social relationships and those with God. We can do this by praying in our own way to God and by talking and checking in with all of our friends and family.
Wishing you all a lovely Shabbat,
Cantor Kowitz
MINYAN REQUESTS
Sam Astrof request a minyan on Saturday, May 9 at 8:50 PM. He has yahrzeit for Sam's father, Harry Astrof. Click here to join the service.
Murray Ackerman requests a minyan on Sunday, May 10 at 8:00 PM. He has yahrzeit for his first wife, Elaine Ackerman. Click here to join the service.
Elayne Berkowitz requests a minyan on Monday, May 11 at 8:00 PM. She has yahrzeit for her for her mother, Hannah Seplowitz. Click here to join the service.
Murray Ackerman requests a minyan on Thursday, May 14 at 8:00 PM. Murray has yahrzeit for his mother, Fay Ackerman. Click here to join the service.
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Congregation Beth Ohr 2550 South Centre Avenue Bellmore NY 11710 (516) 781-3072 officestaff@cbohr.org
Affiliated with United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism